Conversations with Ashley Raymond

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Raymond.

Ashley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
I am a graduate of Central Michigan University, where I originally attended to be a veterinarian. However, after going through some classes and we had to put to sleep an innocent lap rat — I decided if I can’t put a rat down, I probably can’t put down somebody’s animal. From there, I moved into journalism. I’ve always loved watching the nightly news and sports — being up to date on what’s happening in my local community and around the world. I graduated from CMU with my bachelor’s degree and went on to be a sports reporter in Aberdeen, Maryland for the Cal Ripken World Series before returning home to work in Metro-Detroit as a high school sports reporter for State Champs! Sports Network — a weekly television show on Fox Sports Detroit. I also did journalism work for WYXZ Channel 7 and Lawrence Tech University. During my journalism career, I worked weekends for ESPN as a runner. It was such a thrill. Being in my early 20s and on the sidelines of some of the biggest professional and college games was a dream. While being a runner an entry-level/peasant job, it was fast-moving and so fun! I got to take notes and meet some of the top sideline reporters and help them be the eyes and ears on the sidelines. On the flip side of that, as a runner, we’d set up and tear down the entire production days before and immediately following the sporting event. Traveling and watching sports sounds phenomenal, but the pay was not the best. After leaving State Champs! Sports Network, a college friend of mine, suggested I get into mortgages while looking for my next journalism contract. I thought to myself — mortgages? Like with math? At the time, I didn’t know a thing about mortgages, and math was my least favorite subject in school. But she told me to just try it. So, I applied at Rocket Mortgage in downtown Detroit…. and they hired me and taught me all the ins and outs of mortgages. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with helping hard-working Michiganders achieve the American dream of homeownership. Getting the keys to their first home or seventh home always fills your heart with happiness. After being at Rocket Mortgage for over 8 years, I wanted to get back to my community and moved to a small brokerage here in Novi Michigan. The transition from a BIG corporate company where you are just a number to them to a small brokerage where you make all your own decisions has been amazing not only for me but for my clients. The broker world allows me to shop for my clients to get them the best financing on the market. What one lender can’t do, another can. They get all of that using me as a broker. I’m a one-stop shop. Being in the home mortgage industry may not be where I thought my life would go, but learning about families and individuals in my own backyard and getting them out of renting or their parent’s basement — is SO fun. And I hope to be somebody they remember for it. 🙂 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. When I got out of college, I thought I’d have TV stations everywhere begging me to work for them. Eh, not so much. The journalism industry is cutthroat. I remember a director in a small town in Texas close to the Mexican border telling me he LOVES my background and LOVES my demo video of my work, but his viewers would rip their ears off with my voice. I thought wow, that’s rude. I can learn a Southern accent. Another time I interviewed in Traverse City, and a director there told me he hated my curled blonde hair (that I had spent hours doing). And at State Champs! Sports Network, while I was on-air talent, a man in my same role told me he thought I was getting too fat for television and I should consider doing more behind-the-scenes work like producing. Television was a hard world to be in as a young lady. While I loved every minute of it, I had to learn to have thick skin. Moving to the mortgage world, it’s a competitive market. We’re all after the same leads, and it’s a matter of who the client chooses to work with. I may not be getting ripped apart by my looks anymore, but thick skin is still needed. You can work months with a preapproved buyer (for free as you don’t get paid until they close on a home), and they back out on you last minute and go with a competitor. There’s little loyalty in the game. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work in the mortgage broker industry. A mortgage broker is different than a mortgage lender or bank. We shop for our clients to get them the best deal, but more importantly, leads aren’t handed to us. We have to create relationships with people in our community to get business referred to us. Whether it’s with realtors or insurance agents or putting our face on your grocery cart at Kroger. Finding business up to us. It can be hard but when it comes to fruition, it’s so rewarding. I’m proud of myself mostly for my wealth of knowledge on programs I can offer to clients. I never believe in telling somebody no without looking at their FULL picture. There are hundreds of loan programs available, and I’m determined to find one that works for my clients…. and worst case, if I can’t right now, I’ll tell them what they need to do to qualify to buy a home in the future. I pride myself on being transparent and being available. My favorite saying to clients is I will never overpromise and underdeliver. 

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Ashley@SilverlineLending.com Cell Phone: 248-860-12936 

Instagram: MortgagesWithAshleyR 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://silverlinelending.com/our-team/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mortgageswithashleyr/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-raymond-3a7055142